President Trump defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when asked in the Oval Office about CIA findings that the prince approved the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
“You’re mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial,” Trump said, referring to Khashoggi. “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it. And would you leave it at that? You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question.”
The CIA concluded the crown prince approved the 2018 operation that killed and dismembered Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, but Salman has maintained he had no knowledge of the attack, calling it “heinous” and “unjustifiable.” On Tuesday he said Saudi Arabia has “improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that. And it’s painful, and it’s a huge mistake, and we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”
Trump also dismissed questions about a conflict of interest tied to his family’s business while hosting Salman, saying he has “nothing to do” with the family business and that he “decided to leave that success behind and make America very successful.”
The two men touted a U.S.-Saudi deal that would bring hundreds of billions in investment into the United States in exchange for Saudi access to key military and technology assets. After a May trip to Saudi Arabia, the White House announced a $600 billion “commitment to invest in the United States.” During the Oval Office meeting, Salman said Saudi Arabia would invest more, claiming, “We are going to increase that $600 billion to almost $1 trillion of investment — real investment and real opportunity.” It was unclear whether he meant $1 trillion in direct Saudi investment or that the deals would grow to that value. Salman has expressed particular interest in artificial intelligence.
On defense, Trump and Salman reiterated plans for the U.S. to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia; Trump said he did not think Israel would be concerned, asserting “they’re going to be very happy.” Trump also said a formal civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia could happen eventually but “it’s not urgent.”
Regarding the Abraham Accords, Salman did not directly say whether Saudi Arabia would join, saying he believes regional relations are “a good thing, and we want to be part of the core, but we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of two-state solution.” He described a “healthy discussion” with Trump and said, “we’re going to work on that to be sure that we can prepare the right situation as soon as possible to have that.” Trump said discussions on a two-state solution would continue.
A White House dinner for Salman was planned for this evening following the day’s meetings.
